Kampung Kreepy

Did you know today, Jan. 29, is the first day of the Chinese New Year?  Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival, doesn’t start on a set date because it’s based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. The New Year begins whenever the new moon rises between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20.  Among other traditional ways to celebrate, families gather together on New Year’s Eve for a reunion feast. Red is considered a lucky color, so people decorate their homes with red items, including lanterns and wall hangings, for the New Year. It is auspicious to wear red clothing on New Year’s Day. People also give red packets (known as “hongbao”) containing money to their kids and younger relatives to wish them luck and good fortune for the year.     2025 is the Year of the Snake, with wood as the element. In Asian belief, the snake isn’t sinister. Rather, it’s associated with beauty, wisdom and introspection. The snake is also associated with yin energy, whi...

Wonka is charming, whimsical, and heartwarming. But it’s hard not to like a movie centered around chocolate. Full confession: I haven’t watched the original 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder. I saw the 2005 version, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp in the main role, and thought it was okay.  I enjoyed Wonka so much more. Timothee Chalamet brought a touching innocence to his role as Willy Wonka. The other cast members did a great job as well. I laughed harder at Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa than I thought I would.  I loved the movie’s set designs. The U.K. locations in which Wonka was filmed, including Oxford and Bath, are simply beautiful and added much to the movie’s magic.  An enthusiastic two thumbs-up from me.